Los Angeles, California. San Francisco starter Carlos Rodón, Latino Sports 2021 AL MVP pitcher, was 13-5, 2.37 ERA as a White Sox last year and has not lost a beat since joining the N.L. Giants’ as a free agent. He brings a solid 8-5, 2.66 ERA to Dodger Stadium in an attempt to slow down this deep, powerful Western Division rival. LA sits in first place at 60-30, a full 12.5 games ahead of the 48-43 third place Giants.
The Dodgers answer with Mitch White, 1-2, 4.20 ERA, who has been giving the Dodgers innings. They have been very good outings despite what his record looks like.
Tonight was another major league game with bad defense and a failed bullpen. San Francisco right fielder Luis González lost an easy fly that would have ended the inning with a 2-0 Dodger lead that ended up going over his head for a 2 RBI double. In all fairness to González, the analytical nerds that make up those cheat sheets, neglected to insert the fact that the Space Station was flying over Dodger Stadium at 8:23 PCT. The distraction from that was just too much to overcome for González.
Then in the next inning, Giants catcher Austin Wynns tried to throw out Mookie Betts when he should have eaten the ball because of the big jump Betts got on Rodón. The throw was off line and second baseman Wilmer Flores could not handle a back-handed attempt to stop the throw in the dirt, sending the ball into CF and putting Betts on 3rd. The Giants defense was not kind to Rodón. It should have been a 2 run game. The 5 runs he gave up were counted as earned runs and that is a crime.
There was a spectacular catch by Trea Turner who had to run from close to second base on a shifted infield to the warning track between third and left field and slid before he even caught the ball. An absolutely outstanding play. And White again gave them innings. Going 5 with 1 hit and 0 runs.
But then another game where a starter, White, leaves with a 5 run lead only to see the Giants tie it up with an awful LA bullpen performance. First a solo HR by Evan Longoria and a grand slam by Darin Ruf. When Evan Phillips, the 4th out of the Dodger bullpen, walked in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning, it was the icing on the cake in this dreadful game.
In the Dodger bottom of the 8th, a double by Gavin Lux and triple by Trayce Thompson to tie the game at 6-6, made Giants manager Gabe Kapler bring in lefty Jarlín García, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who promptly walked ninth in the order lefty Cody Bellinger. That brought up righty Mookie Betts who deposited his 21st HR into the left field pavilion to give the Dodgers a 3 run lead. When Betts made a spectacular diving catch to end the game, mercifully it was over.
Tomorrow Giants Logan Webb 9-3, 2.83 vs. Dodgers Tyler Anderson, 10-1, 2.96.
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